Le Clocher Penché — Restaurant in Quebec

Situated on the corner of a quaint intersection, Le Clocher Penche is in a building that appears to have been an old bank and loan establishment of some kind, it's namesake church located diagonally across the above mentioned intersection. Colourful flower boxes underscore each window, all of which appear to be original to the building and swung wide open, inviting the cool morning breeze to blow through this incredibly laid-back space. We enter through a small vestibule and are lead past a small, well organized bar sitting alongside an open-style kitchen before being shown our seats at a two-spot along the back wall of the restaurant. It is about ten on a Saturday morning in July, the place has customers but is not yet jammed. Small, nondescript pieces of wood cover many of the old plaster walls and pillars to create something almost reminiscent of the Driftwood in Oranjestadt. Original artwork was on display, most of which appeared to have been done by someone that had at some point experimented with psychedelics - very neat stuff and right up my alley. Our server brought flavours of Timothy Roth a la Pulp Fiction, with a bit of Steve Buscemi in Soprano's, with a dash of over-worked Los Angeles B-role actor and part-time surfer rolled into one French-Canadian package - definitely an old soul that had been around the block a few hundred times. He was so well curated with the menu, and was so professional in his service to Le Clocher, one might easily mistake him for the/an owner (which he likely was). He broke the ice by asking if we would like to start our day with a couple of mimosa's - a welcomed gesture, but we had a long day ahead and decided on coffee instead. We perused the small but well though-out breakfast menu as we waited on our coffees. MrsK decided on the Beaver Tail with maple sugar, fresh fruit and orange creme-fraiche. I chose the L'Abbe Chamel with poached eggs on smoked ham, cheese, mushrooms, herb waffles stacked on roasted potatoes and covered in beschamel sauce. With our order now placed, we tipped into our giant cups of coffee and let me tell you it was superb, top rate coffee prepared the in the right manner. Not your typical breakfast joint coffee. Shortly thereafter an amuse bouche arrived, a petit glass of granola over sour yoghurt and berries, with a cedar jelly at its base. Being from Ontario, I forget about amuse bouche and because it was early in our trip I was not expecting this. It was a pleasant surprise and a fun adventure into the minds of those behind Le Clocher Penche. Along came bruch. It was fantastic. MrsK beavertail had a light and doughy inside with a nicely done, sugary outside. The fruit was sensational and the creme fraiche was a amazing. My poached eggs were perfectly cooked, the waffles were still waffles even with herbs, the sauce was mellow and the ham has a few nice crunchy bits. If I had one complaint, it would be that there seems a bit of an abundance of brie between all of the delicious layers and that perhaps a bit of gouda might cut it up nicely and provide another layer of cheesy sharpness - my entirely unprofessional opinion. Other than the slight overkill on the brie, everything was absolutely top notch and really not all that expensive for what you get. Places like Le Clocher are truly wonderful. They make true service, quality and atmosphere something that is approachable and can be consumed by most. Fantastic work and look forward to...

The restaurant ambients and atmosphere were pleasant. The green colour scheme running across the interior of the restaurant with potted plants.

The service was pretty good. Greeted as we sat, the server was very knowledgeable about the menu and gave us a briefing on each item. Asked about our honesty for if we liked it or not. I wished I was more honest about what I did and didn’t like. The server also cleared the dishes and wiped the table before we had the next course that came out.

The food…

-Fresh cheese: made in house, it tasted creamy and combined well with the pickles mustard seed and capricolo. It tasted like a creamy cheesy pickle salad if I had to identify it as something. 7/10 The homemade bread was delectable. It was soft and warm, the sesame seasoning on top completed the flavour profile. The butter was herby but not too strong. 8/10 Gnocchi: a bit too lemony, although the flavours worked together. It was creamy hollandaise sauce. It tasted like an eggs Benedict over bouncy fried dough. It was okay. Wouldn’t order it again. 4/10 Blood pudding : like fireworks in your mouth. It was so delicious. A soft meatloaf like dish. The corn sauce was sweet and complemented the blood pudding. It had bits of ground meat for texture. I would Highly recommend it. 9.5/10 conchiliie pasta was good. Tomato - acidic. Al dente pasta. I kept thinking it could use a bit of cream to balance the acidity 7.5/10 Steak: was good but modavie’s steak was better. The vegetables were the highlight for this dish. Excellent made and roasted perfectly. 7.8/10 blueberry: olive oil cake itself was nicely executed. The flavours were unexpectedly light, and they compliment each other well, however the blueberry flavour seemed washed out. I couldn’t really taste it when I ate the olive oil cake - it was a denser cake, but I wished the blueberries shined a bit more. It could be that the blueberries were not as sweet.

Overall this restaurant is more acidic forward in their dishes. If you liked that flavour profile you should try it out.

I...

A deeply disappointing and possibly racist experience

I had high expectations for Le Clocher Penché after making a reservation well ahead of my trip. I was genuinely excited to try the food, which had earned so many great reviews. But what I experienced left me shocked and hurt.

Upon arrival, I was escorted - not to the beautiful main dining room I had seen online - but to a dark, secluded back room. What struck me immediately was that every table in that back room, including ours, was occupied by Asian diners. It felt impossible to ignore the pattern, and impossible not to ask: Why only Asians here?

I asked the host politely if we could sit in the main hall, where there were clearly available tables. She said no without explanation and walked away. The entire interaction felt cold, dismissive, and frankly, racist.

I want to believe the best in people. I tried hard not to jump to conclusions. But in 2025, to witness only Asian guests being seated in the worst section of a restaurant while others enjoy the ambiance of the main space - is more than just bad hospitality. It’s a problem.

This experience ruined what should have been a special night. No matter how celebrated a restaurant is, there’s no excuse for treating guests differently based on race. I hope the owner and staff take a hard look at their practices, and the shame that should...